Organizational Details

  • Last VBL Title: 2019; The franchise also won in 2017, giving it two titles in six seasons of existence.
  • Team President: Mike Paduano
  • Recruiter: Jeff Burton
  • Head Coach: Ramon Garza, who just finished up his playing career (and a master’s degree in finance, too) at the University of Texas at Dallas. He’s no stranger to the league, though: he played for Woodstock in 2018 and Charlottesville in 2019. (He’s also pictured)
  • Kep pro Alumni: The team has two players knocking on the door to get into the major leagues: Vinnie Pasquantino (2017) and Kyle Nicolas (2018). These two are arguably the top prospects in the entire minor leagues from our league.

2021 Recap

The ‘21 version of Charlottesville destroyed the rest of the South Division, finishing with a record of 30-10, a full ten and a half games ahead of second place Staunton. The playoffs did not go as planned, however, as Waynesboro knocked out the division champs in two close games in the first round. The team was led at the plate by Wyatt Langford (Florida), and Christian Worley (Virginia Tech) led the staff.

Returners

  • Emmett Bice, Charleston (New Market 2021)
  • Logan Amiss, VCU (Covington 2019, Charlottesville 2021)
  • Brady Kirtner, Virginia Tech (2021)
  • Garrett Spikes, Georgia (2021)
  • Angelo Cabral, UTRGV (2021)
  • Justin Humenay, VCU (2021)

Key Hitters

  • Logan Amiss: “He’ll be a leader,” Garza said. Hit .273/.362/.364 in 231 at-bats, with 15 doubles
  • Satchell Norman, Florida Southwestern: .376/.465/.667 in 165 at-bats, 16 doubles, ten home runs, 25/24 BB/K
  • Cole Wagner, Georgia: .277/.353/.412 in 119 at-bats, five home runs
  • Tyler Shelnut, Santa Fe (Florida commit): .333/.420/.747 in 174 at-bats, 11 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 57 RBIs in 45 games
  • Kyle Joye, Wake Forest: .341 in 44 at-bats, two doules, four home runs
  • Tyler Horvat, Washington & Jefferson: .434/484/.586 in 145 at-bats, 12 doubles, five triples, 21 stolen bases

Pitchers to Watch

  • Luke Wagner, Georgia: 44 K’s in 38 innings
  • Chandler Marsh, Georgia: 4-1, 3.86, 43 K’s in 32 innings
  • Drew Bryan, Chicago: 17 walks, 52 K’s in 47 innings
  • Brian Holiday, Florida Southwestern: 7-1, 1.20 in 53 innings, with 15 walks and 74 K’s
  • Trey Yesavage, East Carolina: 41 K’s in 24 innings
  • John Armstrong, Auburn: 1-0, 2.51, 20 K’s in 14 innings
  • Tyler Horvat again: 8-1, 2.13 in 68 innings, with 11 walks against 48 K’s
  • Evan Truitt, Charleston Southern: 3-4, 4.28, 60 K’s in 54 innings
  • Bobby Olsen, Brown: Started 10 games this spring

Other Notes

  • If the VBL had not canceled in 2020, Garza would have been a teammate of Logan Amiss
  • Cole and Luke Wagner are cousins
  • Garza’s two brothers also played in the Valley League. Mike played in Woodstock in 2009 and 2010, and Eric played for the Bandits in 2016. All three of them had the same host family- Kathy and Kevin Black.
  • Cole Wagner hit a 380-foot home run in the Little League World Series in 2015– click the link for the video!